Frances Thomas Toole

May 22, 1916 - June 16, 2014

TOOLE, Frances Thomas, age 98, departed this life on June 16, 2014, after a long illness. Born May 22, 1916, she was a lifelong resident of Tampa, Florida, and attended Gorrie Elementary, Wilson Junior High and H.B. Plant High Schools. She graduated from Florida State University, then known as Florida State College for Women, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa and a member and president of Kappa Delta Sorority; despite these ties, she remained a loyal Gator fan throughout her life. She was predeceased by her parents, Walter W. and Nina Anderson Thomas, as well as her husband, John C. ("Keg") Toole, her granddaughter, Mara Toole Schultz, her son-in-law, Russell A. Johnson, and her brother, W.C. Thomas. She is survived by her children, Dr. John C. Toole (Bobbie), Tampa, Warren W. Toole (Diane), Bellaire Beach, and Frances M. (Kem) Toole, Tampa; her grandchildren, Dr. J. Matthew Toole (Dr. Katy Morgan), Charleston, SC, Brian A. Toole, Asheville, NC, Patrick D. Toole (Nicole), Coarsegold, CA, and M. Westcott Toole, Tampa; her great grandchildren, Charles, Anderson and Clara Toole, Charleston, SC, Kennedy and Hudson Toole, Coarsegold, CA, and Brian Schultz, Tampa; and her sister Nina ("Teeny") Thomas Paxton, Tuscaloosa, AL, and brother Rev. Davis Thomas (Virginia), Tallahassee, FL. Frannie was a member of the Junior League of Tampa and the Chiselers. She was a member of the Tampa Yacht and Country Club most of her life, where her husband served as Commodore in 1956. She was a lifelong member of Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, where she served as an elder. Frannie was an avid tennis player, a passion she shared with her husband, Keg, although they rarely dared to share that passion on the same court. They did enjoy sharing the dance floor, however, and, even in her last years, Frannie was known for dancing down the halls of the Canterbury Tower Health Center. After her children were grown, she worked for many years as a realtor, first at W.H. Toole & Sons prior to her husband's death and then at Preston & Farley, retiring from there when she was 83. Frannie majored in art and enjoyed painting. She went so far as to paint toilet seats, bar stools, and even a weather vane that spent many years atop the house of her friends, Peggy and Bubber Barrs. A celebration of her life will be held Monday, June 23, at 11am, at Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, 1309 Swann Avenue, Tampa, with the family greeting people in the church Fellowship Hall following the service. The family wishes to thank the staff of Canterbury Towers Medical Center for all the care and affection they showed Frannie in the last 6 years of her life. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Metropolitan Ministries, 2002 N. Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33602, Hyde Park Presbyterian Church, or the charity of your choice.